“An all round excellent bike, sadly overlooked by the mindless sheep who'll flock to a GS as it has BMW on the tank.
Having owned 3 GS's, yes I've been guilty of following the masses, I can honestly say the big Bird has a better engine, suspension, build quality and reliability than the pre LC GS's.
I suspect the newer LC Gs may well have moved on in the engine department but friends who own them still report reliability issues and decline in build quality i.e Chinese wheels and Mexican electronic components. Bizarrely the Guzzi runs German wheels?
I love the tractability of the Guzzis Vee twin, the all day comfort, 32 litre tank and excellent Mpg. I've been achieving 47-48mpg when on 'spirited' rides and 44-45 mpg fully loaded on long haul trips.
Live differently, give the Guzzi a go!”
“Bought this bike just before I retired from work, and it is one of the best bikes that I have had, but not with out faults mainly weight and height ( I have short inseam) body work plastic is also very costly to replace and dealerships a bit thin on the ground.
What I do like is the strong engine and the exhaust note as the revs rise, and the comfort.
Handles just fine and very comfy with those huge boxes with so much space to carry all your gear.
Mine is the early bike with the small petrol tank 18 Litre, which is not good for touring.
I have had problems with water spray from the rear tyre and have fitted a hugger which tends to help keep the rear end clean ( I do not use motorways, B roads and some A roads are my choice but tend to be muddy and dirty with cow shite during the year ).
Petrol consumption can be very good if you are careful with your throttle hand, and varies between 54 -56 mpg on a good day touring, but if you wring it's neck through the gears you can bring it down to 39-42 mpg.
Radial brakes provide very good stopping power and none genuine pads cheep to replace.
Tyre wear is also good but depends on how you ride, tyres replaced at 8000 miles on mine.
The wheels are tubeless but have a very poor system of sealing the spoke nipples, each nipple has an 0 ring seal, this is not trouble free and the spokes have very poor quality chrome, stainless would have been better.
BMW have a better way on the GS.
The rear damper needs better protection from road filth and debri , perhaps a rubber sock might be the answer, the suspension linkages also suffer from the lack of grease nipples and contain needle roller bearings which are cageless .
Switch gear is also a big pain. You have to scroll through the menu to select various options, heated grips you are unable to select whilst on the move but this has changed on the later model along with a bigger petrol tank. I do like the glove box on this early model, very handy for small change, and a packet of mints.
I have saved the best until last, the owners club is very good, like minded folk who like a pint or two, very good camping week ends through the year including the AGM and never a dull moment
Fasteners are another poor item, why don't Guzzi use stainless or even titanium.
Cam shaft followers on some of the new 4 valve engines have caused problems with premature failure at around 18,000 miles, but Moto Guzzi have retro fitted roller rockers to remedy this problem under and after warrenty, so it is fingers crossed for the time being.
All in all a very good motorcycle.”
